A special delivery air mail parcel is exciting enough, but when it’s full of tea...  it’s like Christmas all over again.  The package comes to me all the way from the lovely people at Mellow Monk in the US and the tea is their prize winning Top Leaf Green Tea.

Mellow Monk specialises in top quality Japanese green tea from eco-virtuous tea artisans.  If I’m honest, Japanese Green tea is not something I usually drink a lot of as I tend to go for subtler Chinese varieties, but I’m always happy to be persuaded with something new, especially by such a coveted tea.

Opening the packet, I’m greeted with shiny, dark green needle-like leaves; they almost sparkle.  These are special leaves indeed: the topmost and youngest, always first flush.  I take time to read the packet: teas like this need love and attention.  Carefully boiling my water to the right temperature (not too hot), I take in the tangy sweet scent as the leaves mingle in the water.  Brew for around 2 minutes to start.

Taking a slow sip, the flavour that meets me is subtle, sweet and full of that characteristic light grassy-green taste: amazing.  It’s slightly zingy and utterly refreshing.  What’s more, with a fine tea like this, you have the pleasure of brewing a second and third time.  Just make sure you remove all the water from the leaves each time and only brew for 30 seconds to 1 minute second and third time round.  I think I enjoyed the second brewing even more than the first, so delicate and so delicious. 

If the gorgeous taste wasn’t enough, after trying Top Leaf, I feel wide awake and full of life... I’m sure it’s the tea. Pure Green Magic.